NAPLEX 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A cohort study is the type of study design that is beneficial when intervention would be unethical. In a cohort study, researchers observe a group of individuals over a period of time to determine the development of certain outcomes. This type of study is particularly useful when it is not ethical or feasible to intervene and assign treatments to participants, as in the case of studying the effects of smoking or exposure to environmental toxins on health outcomes. By following a group of individuals forward in time, researchers can gather valuable information on the relationship between risk factors and outcomes without interfering with the participants' natural exposure.

In contrast, a case-control study involves comparing individuals with a certain condition (cases) to those without the condition (controls) retrospectively to identify potential risk factors. A case report presents information about a single case, often used to generate hypotheses but not suitable for drawing conclusions about cause and effect. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for determining treatment effectiveness as participants are randomly assigned to receive different treatments, allowing for stronger conclusions about the intervention's impact.